When an error occurs with the data sent to the printer, the printer will print out documents containing strange characters, jumbled letters, or scrambled text. If the problem only happens once and resolves itself, you dont need to worry about it. But if it happens repeatedly, you may have a problem with the printer cable, printer software, a specific file, or font file. Thuthuat.taimienphi.vn will share with you some effective and simple ways to fix the problem of your printer printing strange characters.
It might look like something out of a horror movie: after sending a document to print, your printer churns out pages filled with strange characters. With a job that requires high-frequency printing on an average printer, you're likely to experience this at some point. Don't panic, as this is often a sign of a temporary communication error between your computer and printer. Here are a few steps you can take to fix the problem of your printer printing strange characters.
Printer displaying strange characters: causes and solutions.
1. Basic troubleshooting.
2. Drivers and software.
3. Font and document errors.
4. Problems printing PDF files.
5. Printer malfunctions.
1. Basic measures
As a first step, try restarting your computer and printer. Some printers retain memory when shut down, so unplug the printer's power cord from the outlet and wait a few minutes before reconnecting it. If the printer malfunctions again, try changing the USB cable connecting the printer to your computer. Any USB cable with the same connector will work. Therefore, you don't need to find a different cable from the printer manufacturer. If you're connecting the printer via a USB hub, connect it directly to your computer instead to rule out a hardware fault in the USB hub.
2. Drivers and software
Printer drivers and output control hardware are both problematic, and a fault in either can cause printing issues. Installing the wrong printer model driver or the wrong operating system version can also cause this problem. Visit the printer manufacturer's website and download the latest version for your printer model. If you already have the latest version, you can try reinstalling the driver, as this will replace any corrupted files. Some manufacturers also offer alternative or generic drivers that you can try if the standard driver is problematic or doesn't work on your operating system; proceed to update your printer driver.
3. Font and document errors
A corrupted font file or text document on your computer might look perfectly normal on your screen, but print incorrectly. Create a new document using a different font and print it as a test. If the problem is due to a font error , switch back to the faulty font. If the printout is fine, the issue might be with the specific document not printing correctly – copy the text to a new document to fix the problem. Otherwise, if the font still doesn't print correctly in any document, set a lower resolution in your printer's properties. If the font still doesn't work correctly, delete it in the Fonts Control Panel and reinstall it from the original source.
4. Problems when printing PDF files
You might also encounter problems with certain fonts appearing in PDF files, especially on networked printers. However, unlike other document types, you cannot edit PDF files using Windows 8 Reader or Adobe Reader . As an alternative, to print from Adobe Reader, you click "Advanced" on the Print window and select "Print as Image". This method might make the text look rough around the edges, but it avoids the problem with font files. Printing a PDF as an image takes several minutes, so only use this option when regular printing fails.
5. Printer malfunction
If the printer still doesn't work with any fonts or documents after you've tried a different cable or reinstalled the driver, the printer may have a hardware fault and needs repair or replacement. To confirm this, try printing the same document with a different printer.
During printer use, you may encounter various printer errors besides printing strange characters, and the error of printing entirely blank pages is also common. Please refer to the guide on how to fix the entirely blank page error here to learn how to resolve it.
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